Marvel's master of cosmic magic

Chapter 519

"Anyone who gets this close to ascension really is built differently," Rowan Mercer muttered as he stepped out of the Celestial Ridge.

One week.

That was all it had taken.

Before this, everything he’d learned in this world had been shallow. Effective, yes, but shallow. He’d leaned on spell theory from other worlds, brute-force insight, and his absurd foundation to compensate. Even as a beginner, he could already outclass veterans who’d trained for decades.

But his understanding had been crude.

Functional.

Not deep.

The ancient inheritance left behind by the legendary master had changed that.

It rewired how Rowan interpreted this world’s mystical systems. Patterns he’d only half-grasped before suddenly snapped into place. His learning speed didn’t just increase.

It multiplied.

"With this foundation," Rowan murmured, "once I get my hands on Shen Chong’s soul-loan technique, refining it will be trivial."

If he could perfect that borrowing spell, he could accelerate his true body’s growth across multiple worlds.

That alone made this trip worth everything.

"No wonder eight prodigies used this place to create eight forbidden arts," Rowan said, glancing back at the valley. "Leaving it here would be a waste."

He pressed his palm into the ground.

The earth groaned.

The entire Celestial Ridge tore itself free from the mountainside and vanished into his inner world.

Then Rowan disappeared.

Several hours later, another group arrived.

A woman with short pink hair stood at the edge of a massive crater, staring in disbelief.

"This... this is impossible."

This was supposed to be the Celestial Ridge.

Instead, there was only a hollow scar carved into the mountains.

Her name was Quinn Thorne.

Founder of the Radiant Star Society.

She had personally extracted the location from Mae Jenson and rushed here at full speed.

And now the valley was just... gone.

"Mae Jenson visits this place once a year," Quinn said slowly. "The last time was only a few months ago. What kind of force could move an entire valley?"

She couldn’t even conceptualize a single person doing this.

Even she couldn’t pull something like that off.

"Search the area," she ordered tightly.

The results came back fast.

And horrifying.

"Boss... it was removed less than a day ago. In one piece. No machine marks. No vehicles. No footprints. No residual tools."

Quinn’s eyes widened.

"...You’re telling me someone lifted a whole mountain using magic?"

"...That’s the only explanation that fits."

Her mouth twitched.

"You think this is a fairy tale? That some god came down and carried it away?"

Silence.

No one dared answer.

Beijing.

Rowan stood in the Bellamy family apartment.

He gently rewrote Vivian Bellamy’s memories.

Then her parents’.

Every trace of "Julian Bellamy" vanished from their minds.

He reinforced their bodies while he was at it. Better health. Longer lives.

They deserved that much.

He left without looking back.

He no longer needed that identity.

Staying tied to a borrowed family and a borrowed life was a waste of time now.

From here on, his priorities were clear.

Collect every useful mystical system in this world.

Then isolate himself inside his inner world’s Celestial Ridge.

Use the ancient inheritance as a framework.

Fuse everything together.

Refine it.

Perfect it.

His next target was Evan Clarke’s core technique.

And he already had leverage.

Fiona Barlow’s origin.

Guizhou Province.

Liupanshui.

Above Biyou Village.

"...Why the hell is he out here?" Rowan muttered.

He’d just divined Evan Clarke’s location.

Not Beijing.

Not Tianjin.

But here.

A remote mountain region in the southwest.

Rowan teleported in.

"This place is wrong," he said quietly.

His psychic field swept outward.

Dozens of mystics.

Several unusually strong.

Evan Ward.

Amagiri Rōen.

No known sects. No major families.

No reason for this many heavy hitters to be here.

Rowan descended into the village.

To him, they were all weak.

The only difference was scale.

He walked up to a wooden house and knocked.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

"This one," he murmured.

The door flew open.

"Who is—"

Then Evan Clarke froze.

"...Rowan?"

Three days earlier, Evan Clarke had helped Evan Ward resolve his crisis in Beijing.

Then he’d been dragged into a nightmare assignment.

A temporary agent named Chen Duo had murdered a regional director.

The cleanup order came down hard.

All temporary agents were mobilized.

Evan Clarke and Fiona Barlow were sent to assist.

During the pursuit, they discovered Chen Duo had joined a hidden faction.

Biyou Village.

Mission status changed.

Neutralize the village.

Capture Marcus Hanlon.

Absorb the mystics.

Evacuate the civilians.

And now, in the middle of planning tomorrow’s assault...

Rowan Mercer was standing at his door.